NRCS announces EQIP deadline for local agriculture producers

POMEROY, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced Friday, Nov. 17, as the deadline to submit applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) in Ohio.

EQIP is a voluntary conservation program that helps agricultural producers protect the environment while promoting agricultural production. With EQIP, NRCS conservation experts provide technical assistance to implement environmentally beneficial conservation practices on working agricultural land.

Financial assistance is now available in a variety of agricultural categories such as cropland, forestry, pasture operations, high tunnels, organic, and many more listed on the Ohio NRCS website under “EQIP Application Deadlines.”

Last year, the NRCS approved 12 contracts in Meigs County totaling $113,288.31 in the following areas: Southern Ohio Appalachian Outreach, High Tunnel Systems, Oak Management in the Appalachian Mountains, Pasture Improvement Projects, Limited Resource Farmers and Beginning Farmer. Contracts over the past five years have totaled $435,506.83.

To participate in USDA conservation programs, applicants should be farmers or farm or forest landowners and must meet eligibility criteria. Applications signed and submitted to NRCS by the November 17 deadline will be evaluated for fiscal year 2018 funding.

Applications for EQIP submitted by entities, such as agricultural producers applying as a corporation, must have a DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) number and an active SAM (System for Award Management) registration status when applying, a process that may take several weeks. Applications cannot be processed without this information.

In Meigs County, contact Carrie Crislip, District Conservationist, at 740-992-6646 to learn more about EQIP or other technical and financial assistance available through NRCS conservation programs.